A husband used a bucket truck to reach the third story nursing home window of his wife's room he can't visit because of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Channel 7 WHDH in Boston is reporting on a husband who used an unorthodox manner to visit his wife at the Waltham nursing home where she lives due to her lack of mobility. Up until a few weeks ago, he visited her every day in the traditional manner. In an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and to save lives, visits to hospitals and nursing homes are temporarily forbidden in Massachusetts.

I'm sympathetic to people who can't visit their family members at this time. But there is a reason for the restrictions on visits to nursing homes and that is to save lives. As WHDH is also reporting, nursing home residents in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are being hit hard by this virus.

The man misses his wife and he has access to a bucket truck. He put on a mask and gloves and was hoisted up to her window. He was able to talk to her because the glass window was opened and they were only separated by a screen. According to the husband, they were even able to touch fingertips when they pressed their hands together on the window screen.

If a mask, gloves and a window screen were enough to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, there wouldn't be a lockdown on visits to nursing homes.

I don't blame the man and his wife for wanting to see each other. But I wonder why the nursing home allowed this clear violation of the rules to occur? And what about all the other elderly residents who live in that facility and how this violation has put them in potential grave jeopardy?

What happens next at that nursing home if someone there comes down with this deadly sickness?

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

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